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A resident from the state of California who admitted to trying to kill US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was sentenced on Friday to 97 months in federal prison.

Sentencing Proceedings and Judicial Comments

The defendant, the accused, who was indicted under her birth name Nicholas Roske but now uses she/her pronouns, received her punishment during a legal proceeding before US District Judge Deborah Boardman in the Maryland city of Greenbelt.

Judge Boardman described Roske's offense as "absolutely reprehensible," but added that the defendant displayed genuine remorse, had no prior criminal record, and was not expected to commit further crimes.

Case Background and Admission of Guilt

Roske pleaded guilty in April to the offense of trying to kill a justice and had faced a possible life sentence. Prosecutors stated that she traveled from California carrying a firearm, ammunition, a prying tool, irritant spray, and additional gear with the purpose to commit murder "with terrorist aims."

Upon reaching Kavanaugh's residence, Roske contacted the police after observing US marshals positioned outside the house, telling the dispatcher that she was suicidal and planned to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as recorded in court filings.

Reasons and Defendant's Statement

Prosecutors indicated that Roske, who was 26 at the time when arrested, was distressed about expected Supreme Court rulings that would eliminate the national right to abortion and weaken firearm laws.

Speaking personally to the district judge during Friday's hearing, Roske apologized to Kavanaugh and his family for "the considerable distress" she had inflicted them.

"People have depicted me as a villain, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life," the defendant said.

Prosecution's Argument and Legal Team's Request

The government's attorneys had recommended a incarceration term of no less than three decades, stating that Roske had premeditated her actions for months and was determined to locate the residences of four unidentified current Supreme Court justices.

"The defendant posed a very real threat to our governmental structure, our constitution," assistant US attorney Coreen Mao declared at the court session. She stated that no public official should be afraid of being murdered at any moment for doing their job.

Roske's lawyers had requested Judge Boardman to impose a term of eight years or less, noting that she had called 911 to turn herself in and had cooperated the authorities. Roske should be sentenced "based on her actions, not for what she believed," they argued.

Broader Context of Ideologically Motivated Attacks

The sentencing takes place amid signs of rising political violence in the US, including two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year, and the killing last month of conservative figure Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.

Menaces against US judiciary members have more than doubled since 2021, according to official statistics analyzed by Reuters last year. Some judges who have ruled against Trump administration policies have faced intimidation and targeting along with their families, as documented in a Reuters inquiry.